Sin City
by Predominantly Normal
Summary: In order to protect those she cares for most, Yumi joins a vicious turf gang. At first, she's only in for it to keep Ami and Kaz safe. But as time goes on, Yumi's motives become more and more blurred. What happens when her loyalty is torn between her friends, and the wild rush of Sin City?


**I DO NOT OWN HI HI PUFFY AMIYUMI**

**I have not posted a fic that wasn't South Park since 2013. Wow. Anyways I've been having a little bit of writer's block lately, so I figure: what's a better way to ease out of writers block than to write my favorite fanfiction trope- the Gangster AU! **

**Unlike my first gangster fanfiction, however, this one actually has an original idea behind it. **

**Also, I'm very aware that this fandom is kind of dead. I do not care! I've been dying to write something for this fandom, despite the lack of traffic. And I've been dying to write a Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi fic in which Yumi isn't a depressed, selfish, sadist. Because that's so far from her cannon personality, it baffles me. **

**So without further hesitation, for the whole two people who will wind up actually reading this fanfiction, the story.**

* * *

The busy streets of Las Vegas were a real sight. Wispy dust clouds formed and dispersed in the sky, not even lasting long enough for a child to imagine them as something. Cars hustled down the streets, adding noise to the already existing tumult of the endless casinos.

The whole place was a kaleidoscope of bright neon lights, and life oozed out of every crevice from the city that never slept. The vibrant colors and verdant landscaping were almost distracting enough to avert attention from the constant roar of police sirens.

"Rough crowd," Yumi muttered in annoyance, stumbling down the stone stairs of The Monte Carlo. The bright sun irritated her eyes, and she narrowed them. She tried to walk slowly and steadily to keep the stack of instruments upright in the wagon she pulled.

"You can say that again," Ami replied, frowning. She tailed after her best friend, offering her some dollar-store sunglasses that she had packed for the trip.

"Rough crowd."

Both girls had just performed for the guests staying at the Monte Carlo, a popular hotel and casino, and they had only received an obligatory applause as thanks. Their audience hadn't been too impressed with them, finding the Japanese-influenced music to be a little alienating.

"Hey, where's Kaz? Shouldn't he have been backstage?" Ami asked, scrunching her brow.

"He's probably gambling his life away hitting big on the penny slots," Yumi deadpanned, earning herself a stifled giggle from Ami.

"Hey Yumi, do you want to go check out the Botanical Gardens? I checked them up online and they look pretty cool!" Ami bounded forward and ripped out a piece of folded paper from her skirt pocket.

"I'd love too, really. But I'm beat. I think I'm just gonna haul these instruments back to the hotel and take a nap. If you can rip Kaz away from the casino, I'm sure he'd go," Yumi suggested as kindly as she could, trudging on.

"But it's no fun if I just take Kaz! I'll just wait until you wake up, and then we can go! It's a 24-hour attraction, you know!" Ami cheered. Yumi gave her a tired grin.

_She's may be two years older than me biologically_, Yumi thought in exasperation_, but mentally, she's four years younger. _

They headed west, into the rougher side of town. Kaz, their cheap bastard of a manager, had managed to reel them into a cruddy motel at the edge of Las Vegas. As they passed by the countless grimy alleyways, Yumi made sure to check into each one for trouble. Oblivious to the possible threats of Sin City, Ami skipped ahead.

Suddenly, a rough hand grabbed Ami's shoulder and ripped her into one of the alleyways. She screamed in shock, her voice muffled by a large, sweaty hand. Yumi immediately dropped the wagon and raced around the corner to help her.

A large beefy guy was holding Ami by her neck, a wolfish grin on his face. Ami's eyes were wide and she tried to scream again, only to be silenced as the big guy flicked out a switchblade and held it to her throat.

"Shush, kid," he snickered, "This shirt is new, and I ain't got the coin to wash it up at the dry cleaners."

Yumi rounded the corner just in time, suppressing a gasp of horror at the scene unraveling in front of her. Without a second thought, she unleashed a tremendous battle cry and lunged at the man. He was caught off guard for only a moment, but the moment was all Yumi needed. With reckless strength and a lucky aim, she caught the thug right in the throat, sending him down on all fours as he spluttered for breath.

"Ami, run!" Yumi screamed, hopping off the man and tugging her friend out of the alleyway and down seven blocks until both were sure that they weren't being followed. Once both had the chance to catch their breaths, Yumi let go of her grip on Ami's wrist.

"Wow, Yumi-chan! You saved my life! _Arigato, arigato!"_ Ami grinned, full of awe at her friend.

"Well," Yumi said, trying to catch her breath, "I _am_ pretty awesome, aren't I?"

Ami snorted, throwing an arm around her friend. "The best," she agreed.

They headed back to the hotel, both too cautious to go back for their instruments. They entered the hotel room with a room key Ami produced from her pocket, and Yumi instantly kicked on the air conditioning.

As the dusty, cold air began circulating in their room, Yumi collapsed on the hotel bed. Within seconds, she was fast asleep, snoring lightly. Ami giggled at the cute face of content on Yumi's face as she slept and gave her a quick peck on the forehead before trotting to the door to check out the hotel pool.

"I'll be back, Yumi-chan. Sleep well!" She whispered, snagging her room key and bathing suit before leaving.

* * *

Yumi woke up groggily, her head thumping painfully. She shook it off, using her balled up fists to wipe the sleep from her eyes. With a crick in her neck, and a sore in her back from the rock-hard mattresses, Yumi stumbled out of her bed.

"Kaz…," she hissed to herself, "When I get my hands on you, I _swear…"_

Without finishing the rest of her threat, she walked over to her dresser, which had a neat-looking note on it. She snatched the note off the dresser and read it. It read:

_Good evening, Yumi! _

_Hope you slept well! I am going up to the Excalibur to get Kaz so that we can go to the Botanical Gardens! I also read that it has a great evening view! If you're reading this note, that means I'm still trying to pry him off of the slot machines. Come up to the Excalibur, and I'll be waiting by the blackjack table in the far back next to the Horse Racing table. _

_Love, Ami._

Yumi rolled her eyes. The whole thing was written in pink marker, with all the 'I's dotted with hearts. Yep, this was definitely a work of Ami. She snatched the note and shoved it in her back pocket, silently walking out of her hotel room.

The night air of Las Vegas was much more bearable than the scorching dry heat of day. It was almost refreshing, even. Yumi felt like she was at a carnival, feeling the cold wind on her bare arms and the wild neon signs begging to be noticed. She kept a cautious eye as she walked through the set of dirty alleyways that had nearly gotten Ami murdered.

As soon as she was in the main strip of Las Vegas, she remembered that she had no idea where to go. She rushed up to a bellhop who was balancing a set of heavy bags of luggage around his arms.

"Hey, I'm looking for the Excalibur. Any idea where it might be?" She asked.

"Yeah, kid. Just head up that street, and then turn left. It should be right there," he said politely, gesturing with his finger. Yumi thanked him, carefully following his directions. She walked slowly to admire the astounding night life of the sleepless city.

"We should get some lights to create that effect," she muttered to herself, watching laser light shows illuminate the night sky.

She ended up at the Excalibur much sooner than she would've liked. She enjoyed her private time to think, and the bustling streets of Las Vegas made a surprisingly good thinking place.

Yumi walked through the giant doors of the casino and peered in. It was packed with guests, playing their luck at poker and roulette. Slots machines blared, and made a loud clinking noise as coins spewed out the bottom and emptied into gambling buckets. Slick dealers shuffled cards and glanced around the table at the stone-faced players.

After a fair amount of looking, she eventually found the blackjack table Ami had mentioned. It was abandoned, save for a dealer idly shuffling his cards. Yumi strolled up to the table and took a seat.

"Come to play?" asked the dealer. He was a young man with jet black hair and piercings dotting his face. A dragon tattoo crawled up his neck and down his arm. Yumi wasn't certain, but she was pretty sure that the esteemed Excalibur hotel and casino would not normally employ some teenage delinquent.

"Actually, I'm looking for a friend. Pink hair, dumb smile, Japanese pop star; you see her?" The boy raised an eyebrow.

"Come to play?" He offered again. Yumi, catching the hint that he wouldn't spill anything unless she spent some cash, relented and threw a few twenty dollar bills on the table.

"Let's go," she said.

"Chips. You can't use real money to bet. You need to buy poker chips," he replied, cracking her an amused grin.

Yumi growled before informing him that she'd be right back. She hurried to the front of the casino to exchange for chips before heading back. She had to take some time to find the blackjack table again, surprised when she seen the dealer still grinning at her upon her return. She plopped down on one of the plush red stools and slammed 200 bucks worth of poker chips on the green felt countertop.

"Risk taker," the dealer hummed, "I can respect that."

"Let's just play already," Yumi growled.

The dealer shuffled the cards and threw her two. Yumi picked them up and inspected them. Two aces, equaling twelve. She smirked, glad that it was classic blackjack.

"Hit," She said confidently. As if the gods of casino gambling had looked down upon her to bless her, she received a 9 of hearts, giving her 21 flat. She tried to keep a straight face as the dealer drew cards and busted at 23.

"Good round," he muttered. "So about this friend, I have to wonder- how old are you?"

Yumi hadn't expected that. Taken aback, she replied, "I just turned 22 this year." It was a lie; she wasn't even old enough to legally drink. But he didn't know that.

"I think that's funny," he replied, restarting the match. Yumi put up 200 again, not really giving her cards too much of a thought. She chose to stand with a seven and nine. The dealer ended up busting at 22.

"Yeah, and what's so funny about it?!" Yumi raised an eyebrow.

"You don't look 22. You should've gotten an ID check before I let you bet," He said, throwing her a few more cards. She growled, not getting how this would help her find Ami. Sidetracked, she hit at 16 and busted. The dealer landed 19. He took her chips cheerfully.

"You lose," he said.

"What's this all about?" Yumi said, getting suspicious.

"If I may ask, how long did it take for you to get here?" he said, stacking his cards neatly and setting them down as if they were a toy he was no longer interested in.

"A little while," Yumi admitted, defensively adding, "but I was walking slow on purpose to look at the casinos."

"Did you know beforehand where the Excalibur was?" he pressed.

"No," Yumi said, scrunching her brow as the gears in her mind began to turn. "We didn't have a gig here, so I didn't get to see it. But wait… Ami and I never set foot into the Excalibur. How could she possibly know about the blackjack table? Unless… unless she wasn't the one who made the note!" Yumi's eyes widened in realization.

"You!" she shouted, pointing her fingers at the dealer in accusation. "You set me up to come here!"

"Congrats," he smirked. "You've found me out."

"What's going on here?!" Yumi demanded, gritting her teeth.

"I think we'll find a room with a more modest volume to speak if you'll follow me," he said. He urged her to get up and started strolling away, confidently swerving around betting tables and patrons as if he was a ninja. Against her common sense, Yumi followed behind him, stumbling as she ran to keep up.

They navigated through the casino towards the hotels, and eventually stopped at a suave first-class suite. The dealer opened the door with a key and gestured towards it.

"Ladies first," he offered.

With a wary glance at the man, she slowly stepped into the lavish room. It was decked out with huge one-way windows, plush shag rugs covering the sleek black tile underneath, and expensive-looking leather couches.

"Nicer than your cheap hotel room?" He asked.

"Yeah," Yumi said. She whipped around to glare at the dealer. "Wait, how the hell do you know about our hotel?!"

"Calm down there, hotshot. Just go ahead and take a seat. I'm not going to hurt you- promise. I'm simply here to talk business," the dealer strolled over to the built in mini-bar, pouring himself a martini. "Care for a drink? No? Suit yourself." He sat down in the seat next to her, leaning back casually.

"My name is Rusty. And I saw your brave little stunt saving your pink haired friend. You tackled an armed man four times bigger than you without a second thought. That took guts. I need people like you. Risk takers."

"Look, buddy, if you think I'm-," Rusty took a leisurely sip of his drink, his calm allure and casual intimidation enough to quiet her. He held up a finger for silence, and continued talking.

"Please don't interrupt; it's rude," he said, a falsely hurt look on his face. "Anyways, my dad owns this casino. He puts a lot of tender love and care into it. Tries to keep it safe. But he forgets sometimes; we're in Sin City. In here, safe is just a word to get the tourists feeling secure enough to play a game of chance.

"He's got a lot of enemies. A lot of people just waiting, _yearning, _for his demise so they can usurp his moneymaking throne. That's what I'm here for. I'm the leader of the Cobras, a small turf gang that runs around the Excalibur. We do some jobs here and there for the old man, sometimes a pickup, sometimes an assassination, sometimes we just gotta keep the other gang thugs in line.

"We're a small gang because we're very picky, and very inclusive. And I think you'd do wonders with us. So what do you say?"

Yumi gave Rusty a cock-browed glare. "News flash. I'm a rock star, not a gangster. Sorry, buddy. No deal."

"Look, Yumi, I'll tell you what. If you join, we have a little fun, and you make some big cash. If not, I'm going to have to hurt you. And I really don't want to hurt someone with your potential," Rusty threatened, the warm smirk absent from his face.

"What?" Yumi breathed out.

"I just told you some big trade secrets. Word gets out that the esteemed owner of one of Las Vegas' finest casinos is actually a mob boss? Not good. So you see, I can't take no for an answer," Rusty purred, a predatory grin on his handsome face.

Yumi snorted, "You're just giving me a _ton_ of options, aren't you?" she sneered.

"I say make the best of every situation. Plus, might I mention that if you do agree to help me out, I will offer full protection for your friends," he persuaded.

Yumi bit her lower lip. It was only their first day in Las Vegas and they'd gotten jumped by a thug. Kaz had them booked in Sin City for a casino rock-a-thon lasting two weeks. Yumi couldn't risk Kaz and Ami in that kind of danger. She had only managed to save Ami because she was lucky. What would happen if next time, the odds weren't so in her favor?

"Okay," Yumi agreed. "Okay," she said again, as if to confirm it. "I'll join. But I'm _not_ doing this for _you_, and not for the money. I'm doing this for Ami and Kaz, and nobody else."

"How chivalrous!" Rusty laughed mockingly. He quickly took on a more serious composure. He smiled honestly and patted Yumi's head. "I like you," he grinned. "You're gonna do great."

Yumi cringed, "Yeah, but one more _little_ thing. I'm a famous rock star. If news of this leaks out…," Yumi shivered.

"Don't worry," Rusty smiled so that the corners of his eyes crinkled. "There's a reason why what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."

* * *

Yumi opened the door to her hotel room, Rusty's last words before he dropped her off at the motel still fresh in her mind. _"Don't you dare even think of telling your little friend about this. If you do, then the deal's off. Got it? Good. Meet me in my hotel room at 1 A.M. tomorrow. Don't be late." _

Ami and Kaz were both waiting for her, scowling at her as she walked in. Yumi felt her stomach drop. She was painfully honest by nature, and she couldn't lie to Ami if her life depended on it. She gave them both a forced grin and kicked off her boots in uncomfortable silence as they stared her down. Ami's hair was damp.

"Yumi! Where were you! We were worried sick!" Ami scolded. Yumi cringed and picked up the nerve to lie.

"I woke up and you weren't here so I assumed you ran off to find Kaz. I sat around for a while, thinking you'd come back for me, but after an hour I got sick of waiting. So I went in search of you, and if you think _YOU_ were worried sick, you don't know the half of it! I thought you got mugged again or something!" For a poor actor, Yumi could really embellish a story if she wanted to. Which was mostly due to her constant bragging and boasting.

"I was _scared,"_ Yumi admitted, which was partly the truth. She looked down and bit her fingernails nervously. "I'm really sorry. Gomen."

"Oh, Yumi…," Ami whispered apologetically, moving in to hug the icy-eyed girl. "Please don't worry about Kaz and I though. It was just one guy, and I'm going to be a lot more careful from now on. I promise. I'll be safe."

Yumi nodded, wordlessly settling into the lumpy mattress, drained of all energy for the second time that day. Once again, Rusty's words came to her mind.

_"But he forgets sometimes; we're in Sin City. In here, safe is just a word to get the tourists feeling secure enough to play a game of chance."_

Yumi frowned deeply as she recounted the night in her mind. _Yeah_, she thought, _and I'm sure playing one hell of a game. _


End file.
